Demand for the Tesla Model Y has witnessed a decline globally. For instance, according to automotive analyst Felipe Munoz of Carindustryanalysis, sales of this crossover model dropped by 27% in Norway, 87% in Iceland, and 31% in Luxembourg.
This can be attributed to the aging of the Model Y, which was first introduced in 2019. However, sales of this model in China witnessed a surge right before the launch of the upgraded “Juniper” version.
Tesla sold 480,309 Model Y vehicles in the 12 months of 2024, a 5.24% increase from 456,394 units in 2023. Notably, the Tesla Model Y had slipped a rank below the BYD Qin Plus sedan at the end of the 11 months of 2024.
However, the American automaker finished strong in December with sales of 61,881 units. This was the third-highest after 69,098 units in November 2022 and 62,169 units in August 2022.
The surge in sales can be attributed to the company’s marketing efforts in China towards the end of 2024. For instance, Tesla’s Vice President, Grace Tao, highlighted that Tesla has had no recalls in the past six years, demonstrating its safety record.
Other reasons for the sales growth include the launch of the smart recall feature and the introduction of a final payment discount program for the Model Y in China. The starting price of the Tesla Model Y was 249,900 Chinese yuan (USD 34,100) in 2024.